The Team Behind 25 Million Square Feet
Our engineering group includes…
8 licensed Professional Engineers registered in 44+ states, with several more actively pursuing licensure. We process 500+ projects per year through our pipeline and complete approximately 180 final designs annually — PE-stamped plans delivered directly, without third parties.
Our work spans every major retaining wall system: MSE walls, soldier pile and lagging, soil nail, sheet pile, gravity walls, post-and-panel sound barriers, tiered walls, and reinforced slopes. We design to AASHTO LRFD, NCMA, IBC, and state-specific codes using Vespa, AWall, PLAXIS, GeoStudio, L-Pile, and AutoCAD.
We also supply the materials to build what we design — geogrid, geotextiles, welded wire forms, facing systems, and accessories — with coordinated shipping and reliable inventory for on-time delivery. And we support our clients through construction with responsive project coordination, RFI turnaround, and field problem-solving.
Design + Supply + Support. One team. One partner.
Where We’re LICENSED
Nationwide Engineering Coverage
Our licensed engineers hold active PE registrations across 44+ states — from Alaska to Florida, California to New York. We approach every new jurisdiction with a systematic strategy built on 17 years of working across diverse regions, regulations, and site conditions.
When your project needs a PE stamp, we can deliver — in your state, on your timeline.
Need a PE stamp in your state? We can help!
Chad Clark, PE
FounderChad founded Earth Retention in 2009 after spending years in the field — designing, constructing, and overseeing retaining wall systems across the country. With more than 30 years in geotechnical and civil engineering, he has personally supervised the design and construction of over 25 million square feet of earth retention projects.
His experience covers the full spectrum: geotechnical investigation, slope stability analysis, foundation design, earth retention design and construction, site analysis, and construction monitoring. He has led projects ranging from 6-foot residential walls to 80-foot mass fills, from state DOT highway corridors to the retaining wall systems supporting some of the nation's largest data centers.
Chad holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (1994) and is a licensed Professional Engineer in 20+ states. He is a member of ASCE, the Deep Foundations Institute, the American Society of Foundation Engineers, and NCMA.
Under his leadership, Earth Retention has grown from a design consultancy into a full-service engineering and supply company with in-house design, proprietary software tools, and a nationwide training program.
His approach hasn't changed since day one: solve real problems with proven engineering, deliver on time, and build partnerships that last.
Education: B.S. Civil Engineering — Georgia Tech, 1994
Licensure: Professional Engineer — 20+ states
Affiliations: ASCE, DFI, ASFE, NCMA
Lance Carter, PE
Chief EngineerLance leads Earth Retention's engineering team and sets the technical standard for everything we deliver. With more than 30 years of experience in geotechnical studies, geosynthetic materials and testing, codes and standards, and the design of earth retention and mechanically stabilized earth structures, he is one of the most credentialed engineers in the retaining wall industry.
Before joining Earth Retention in 2015, Lance served as Technical Director at Strata Systems for over a decade — managing product quality, testing, engineering support, and technical resources for U.S. and international divisions. Prior to Strata, he spent four years at the National Concrete Masonry Association (NCMA), where he managed engineered products, developed technical publications, oversaw research projects, and helped develop the codes and standards that engineers across the country still use today.
Lance's career began at Tensar Earth Technologies, where he rose from Design Engineer to Manager of Engineering Operations in six years.
Today, he manages a team of 15+ engineers and designers organized into regional groups — covering the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and West Coast. His team maintains a 90% on-time completion rate and an 88% first-pass submittal approval rate across 40–55 active design projects at any given time.
He specializes in geosynthetic reinforced earth retention structures, and his work includes some of the most complex retaining wall projects in the country — from 76-foot wire walls at data centers to 843,000 square feet of sound barrier walls for state DOTs.
Education: B.S. Civil Engineering — Virginia Tech, 1992
Licensure: Professional Engineer — AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MI, MS, OH, TX, VT, WV
Affiliations: NCMA, ASTM, The Masonry Society (TMS) — Gravity Retaining Wall Committee
How We Got Here
Earth Retention started in 2009 with one engineer, one idea, and a phone that wouldn't stop ringing.
Chad Clark had spent 15 years designing and building retaining walls across the country — for DOTs, developers, and contractors who needed solutions they could trust. He kept hearing the same thing: We need an engineer who understands what it actually takes to build this. So he built a company around that.
The early years were straightforward. A small team. PE-stamped plans. Reliable materials. Every project delivered like your reputation depended on it — because it did.
Word travels fast in this industry. Contractors started calling from other states. Then other regions. The engineering team grew. We added licensed PEs across the country — not to check boxes, but because our clients needed stamps in their states, on their timelines, from engineers who understood their soil conditions and local codes.
By 2016, we had a full engineering operation — multiple regional teams, a Chief Engineer with deep NCMA and AASHTO credentials, and a growing pipeline of commercial, DOT, and institutional projects. We weren't just designing retaining walls. We were providing the materials to build them and staying involved through construction.
That combination — Design + Supply + Support under one roof — became the foundation of everything we do.
Today, Earth Retention is a team of engineers, designers, project coordinators, and professionals working across the country. We've completed over 25 million square feet of retaining wall designs. We process 500+ projects per year. And we serve developers, sitework contractors, DOT agencies, and commercial clients from coast to coast.
We're still the same company Chad started in 2009. We answer the phone. We solve the problem. We deliver on time. The team is just bigger now — and the projects are a lot taller.
Our Team Of Experts Handles The Details, So You Can Run Your Business
Mission & Values
Earth Retention is the expert at delivering innovative geostructural solutions through excellence in engineering, products, and responsive support.
Engineering Excellence
Geostructural Design and Development
Products
Solutions
Mutually Beneficial Partnerships
Team Members
Customers
Suppliers
Continuous Quality Improvement
Learning
Sharing
Implementing
Positive and Rewarding Work Environment
Healthy Communication
Recognition
Opportunity
We're Growing
Earth Retention is expanding across engineering and operations. We're looking for engineers, designers, and professionals who want to do meaningful work with a team that builds things that last.
What we offer:
Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits
Health, dental, and vision insurance (company pays 70%)
Company-paid life, AD&D, and disability insurance
401(k) with 4% company match
24 paid days off in year one
PE licensure support and continuing education
Clear career paths and mentorship from experienced PEs